Dispensers for pressure-sensitive tape



A. P. KRUEGER 2,721,075

DISPENSERS FOR PRESSURE-SENSITIVE TAPE Get. 18, 1955 Filed Dec. 8, 1951 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR Fun A. P. KRUEGER 2,721,075

DISPENSERS FOR PRESSURESENSITIVE TAPE Oct. 18, 1955 Filed Dec. 8 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W M 4 WW,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice Page, ,312 31:

DISPENSERS FOR PRESSURE-SENSITIVE TAPE Alfred P. Krueger, Stratford, Conn., assignor to Derby Sealers, Incorporated, Derby, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 8, 1951, Serial No. 260,710

4 Claims. (Cl. 2712.3)

This invention relates to a tape-dispensing mechanism and more particularly to a dispenser for pressure-sensitive tapes or tapes that are tacky upon one side.

At the present time there are many types of these tapes on the market ranging all the way from very light cellulose tapes to heavy cloth or paper tapes and also some which contain rayon, nylon or glass filaments, the filaments running longitudinally of the strip. These tapes have difierent characteristics and thus create different problems in constructing machines to dispense them, and particularly machines arranged with feed mechanisms of some type to draw the tape from the supply roll as distinguished from machines in which the tape is grasped by the fingers and pulled from the supply roll.

In machines wherein a feed mechanism such as a feed roll or the like is provided, the tacky side of the tape must adhere to the feed roll with sufficient tenacity so that upon rotation of the roll the tape is drawn from the supply roll. Thus, the tendency of the tape to cling to the feed roll must be at least as great or slightly greater than the resistance which it oifers to being unwound from the supply roll.

The tape should not cling more tightly to the feed roll than is necessary to perform this function or it will be difficult to strip it from the feed roll. For this reason the feed roll is often knurled or provided with a broken surface as the tape may cling too tightly to a smooth surface. It will be seen, however, that as some tapes offer a much greater resistance to unwinding from the supply roll than do others, the tendency of the tape to cling to the feed roll, which is proper in one case, may be too great or too little in another case, and it is therefore difficult to make a tape-dispensing machine which will be satisfactory for all kinds of tape.

Also, at the present time manufacturers of pressuresensitive tape, realizing that the resistance to unwinding presents difiiculties in the use of the tape, are now using a process called back sizing which means that the back or non-adhesive side of the tape receives a sizing coating so that the tacky side of the tape will cling to it with less tenacity, and, therefore, offer less resistance to the unwinding of the tape from the supply roll. It has been found, however, that in such a case since the tension upon the tape in the unwinding operation is reduced, the degree of adherence between the tape and the feed roll becomes changed, and it is sometimes necessary to provide additional means to insure that the tape sticks to the feed roll with sufficient tenacity to cause it to unwind.

The present invention particularly relates to a solution of the problem above referred to, the problem being solved by the provision of a pressure plate upon the feed roll or feed elements so that the tape is pressed upon the elements of the feed roll so as to produce sufiicient adherence to secure the necessary tension for the unwinding of the tape. At the same time the adherence, after the tape passes the pressure plate or pad, is sufliciently light so that it does not disadvantageously affect the operation of the stripper mechanism which strips the tape from the supply roll. In other words, the feed roll may be arranged with a knurled or broken periphery to such an extent as to bring about relatively light adherence of the tape thereto and this adherence is increased by the addition of the pressure pad or plate. Also, the pressure pad is preferably arranged so that its pressure upon the feed roll may be adjusted in order that it may be changed to suit the conditions encountered when different kinds of tape are employed.

One object of the present invention is to provide a tapedispensing mechanism of improved character.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tapedispensing mechanism having a feed roll to draw the tape from the supply roll and a presser element to press the tape against the feed roll to insure sufficient adherence of the tape to the feed roll.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a tapedispensin mechanism of the character described in which the pressure of the tape upon the feed roll may be adjusted to suit the particular type of tape being dispensed.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a tape-dispensing mechanism having a feed roll and a stripper roll so constructed that the portion of the tape between the two rolls will lie substantially tangent to the surface of both thereof, and to provide a pressure pad or plate resiliently urged toward the feed roll to press the tape thereagainst.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a tape-dispensing mechanism embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof with some parts being broken away to show the interior mechanism;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the pressure pad empioyed in connection with the feed roll; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified form of my invention.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention I have shown in the drawings a tape-dispensing mechanism comprising a casing which includes side walls and 11 and a cover 12, the casing being open at the front to permit the tape to be discharged therefrom.

Within the casing a supply roll of tape 13 may be suitably mounted so that it will rotate to allow the tape 14 to unwind therefrom under tension effected by the feed roll to which the tacky side of the tape adheres, as will be described.

The tape 14 is drawn from the roll by a feed roll nonrotatably mounted upon a shaft 15, the shaft being rotatably mounted in the casing. This feed roll may consist of a plurality of toothed disks 16 which are spaced a slight distance apart. Received between the edges of the disks 16 are stripper disks 18 mounted in spaced relation upon shaft 19 to rotate with the latter so as to form a stripper roll made up of the disks which also have serrated or broken edges to reduce the area of contact with the tape.

The shaft of the feed roll or feed disks is provided with a gear 20 driven by a gear 21, which is in turn driven by a gear 22 rotatably carried by the casing and designed to be actuated intermittently by a handle or lever 23 which has a one-way connection (not shown) with the gear 22.

The stripper roll is driven from the gear 20 by the gears 25 and 26, the gear ratio being such that the stripper disks or stripper elements are driven at a greater peripheral speed than the feed disks 16 in order that the tape will not cling to the stripper disks.

Adjacent the front of the casing each of the walls and'll is provided with a lug 28 to which is secured a knife structure which may consist of a blade 29 having aserrated lower edge 3.0, a reinforcing member 31, and, if desired, a blade 32 having a lower smooth sharp edge. 33,. The members 29, 31 and 32 are provided with registering openings to receive the body of screws 34 threaded. into the lugs 28. These screws are provided with heads. 35, and betweenv the heads and the blade structure is a spring 3.6 which resiliently urges the serrated blade 29 toward the stripper elements.

The pressure of the blade structure on the stripper elements under the action of the spring 36 causes that portion of the tape, designated by the numeral 37, be tween the feed roll and the stripper roll to assume a position substantially tangent to these rolls and prevents the tape from being drawn into the bite between the feed and stripper rolls. This arrangement is efiective in preventing the tape curling outwardly upon itself as some types of tape are inclined to do if some means is not provided to prevent such action.

As previously stated, it is desirable in connection with. the dispensing of certain types of tape to provide a pres sure pad or element to increase the adherence of the tape to the feed elements 16. This is done in the present instance, by the provision of a presser element shown in Fig. 4. Each of the side walls 10 and 11 of the casing is provided with a lug 40 and a supporting plate 41 is secured to these lugs. The plate is provided adjacent each endwith openings 42 to receive screws 43, and a spring 4.4 On each of the screws resiliently urges the plate toward the corresponding lugs.

The presser element or pad comprises a member, shown in Fig. 4, having a body portion 45 which extends over the roll and which, adjacent its end, is of arcuate shape in cross section as at 46 so as to bear upon the tape and urge it against, the feed elements 16 over a considerable area. The pressure pad is also provided with a securing portion 47 at, an angle to the main portion thereof, which securing portion is adapted to lie against the plate 41 and be secured thereto by the screw 48. The portion 47 of the pressure pad is provided with a slot 49 to receive the screw so that if it is desired not to use the pressure pad, it maybe removed upon loosening the screw.

The angle of the portion 47' of the pressure pad with the body portion thereof is such that when the screw 48 isset up firmly against the part 47 sov as to force this part against the plate 41, the latter will be drawn away from the adjacent surface of the lugs 49 at its upper end as shown in Fig. 3. This causes the springs 44 to be slightly compressed and hence regulates the pressure. ofi'the part 46 of the pressure pad against the broken peripheral surface of the. feed elements 16 as thesprings 44 tend to force the plate 41 flatly against the lugs 40.

The presser element 45 is thus urged against the feed roll elements by the springs and causes the tape to cling to the. feed rolls with the proper amount of adherenceto be drawn from the supply roll. If the tape has been back sized?" so that it comes from the roll easily, there is sometimes insufiicient back pull or tension upon the tape between the feed roll and the supply roll to cause the tape to cling to the feed roll. The pressure pad will correct'this condition in that it applies sliding pressure to the tape and causes it to cling to the supply roll with the required tenacity.

It may be desirable to have a relatively soft pad provided upon the pressure member in such position that this pad will bear against the tape on the feed roll. Such a construction is shown in Fig. 5 wherein the body portion 45 of the presser element extends rearwardly over the feed roll 16, and secured to the undersurface of this member is a relatively soft pad 52 of felt or similar material in position to press against the roll. As described above, the member 45 is urged toward the tape by springs 44, and the member 52 will be pressed against the roll over a relatively large area so as to press the tape against the feed roll and cause it to. adhere thereto. The amount of pressure may, of course, be regulated by' the adjusting screw 48.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for dispensing pressure-sensitive tape, a frame, means for mounting. a supply roll of tape thereon, a feed roll rotatably mounted on the frame to. which the tacky side of the tape adheres, a resilient presser member having a body portion engaging thev nontacky side of the tape for urging the tape against, the surface. of the feed roll to increase the adherence of the tape thereto, and a securing portion standing at an angle to the body portion, said feed roll comprising a plurality of spaced disks having broken peripheral surfaces t0. receive the tacky side of the tape thereon, a plate, means; attaching the securing portion of the presser member to said plate, means movably attaching said plate to the frame, the lower edge of said plate engaging the'frame.

and the upper edge being held away from the frame by engagement of the body portion of the presser member with the tape on the feed roll due to the angularity'of said resilient presser member, said means for monthly attaching the plate to the frame comprising a spring abuts ment secured to the frame, and a spring acting between said abutment and the plate to urge the upper edge of the plate toward the frame and urge the presser member toward the tape;

2.. A device for dispensing pressure-sensitive tape as.

in claim 1 wherein adjustable means are provided. for.

attaching the. securing portion of the presser member to the plate to adjust the pressure of said memberon the tape.

3. A device for dispensing pressure-sensitive tape as in claim 1 wherein a stripper roll is providedv to strip the tape from the feed roll, and means are provided for pressing the tape against the surface of the stripper roll.

4. A device for dispensing pressure-sensitive tape as in claim 1 wherein said presser member includes an element of relatively soft material on the surface thereof which abuts the tape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,621,024 Qiler Mar. I5, 1927 1,972,850 McCarthy Sept. 4, 1934 2,241,658 Engberg May 13, 1941 2,434,996 Gautier Jan. 27, 1948 2,435,795 Quinlan Feb. 10, 1.948 2,507,446 Krue'ger May 9, 1950 2,573,911 Krueger NOV. 6, 1 9 51 

